After tight end Pat Freiermuth played just 21 snaps against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin laid out the reasoning behind his reduced role as the team prepares to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 6.
“We have a certain personality, particularly when we play 4-3 teams,” Tomlin said. “I haven’t been bashful about that. That’s why we drafted Darnell Washington. You can’t play 4-3 teams with 250-pound tight ends. You can’t. The weight classes in combat sports [are] for a reason, and so when the EDGE people are 300 pounds, you better have somebody out there that looks like that animal. And so that was our intentions [against] Minnesota, and so certainly as we move into divisional play in the next couple of weeks and we’re playing two 4-3 teams, chances are you’re gonna see more of that.
“It’s unfair at times to ask guys like Pat Freiermuth and Connor [Heyward] to block 4-3 ends. That’s not real realistic if you want to have a real good run game day.”
Freiermuth’s 21 total snaps against Minnesota was the lowest count of any game he’s appeared in across his five years in the NFL thus far.
The 26-year-old was charted by Pro Football Focus as having just seven run blocking reps after logging 19 against the New England Patriots, who run a 3-4 base defense, during Week 3.
As Tomlin insinuated, Washington should see more playing time against 4-3 defenses due to his 6-foot-7, 264-pound frame and the fact that he’s widely regarded as one of the better blocking tight ends in the league.
Washington, whose 55 total reps vs. Minnesota was his most in a single game since Week 6 of the 2024 campaign, helped kickstart a Steelers run game that had been dormant all season long. The team went off for 131 yards on the ground against a stout Vikings defense even without starter Jaylen Warren healthy, as Kenneth Gainwell led the way with 99 yards on 19 carries.
Freiermuth, while not necessarily a subpar blocker, certainly isn’t anywhere near Washington’s level in that regard. His value to Pittsburgh comes from his prowess as a receiver, and while he’s hauled in just seven passes for 65 yards so far this season, he’s coming off a 2024 campaign in which he recorded 653 yards to go alongside seven touchdowns.
If the Steelers‘ game plan against 4-3 defenses doesn’t warrant Freiermuth getting a ton of reps, however, than it’s hard to justify see him seeing the field over Washington based on his threat level in the passing game.
Pittsburgh’s offense looked the best it has all season against the Vikings, and it sure seems as though Freiermuth will continue to take a back seat over the coming weeks as the Steelers take on the Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.
